Thruxton

[Steelrat]

I can't see Rick Kerry in the Live Timing. Has something happened?

P

[MBailey06]

Chilton on pole. Is he finally showing everyone what he could have been capable of all year at the final round of all times??

[VkmSpouge]

BTCC Round 28 Qualifying Times:
1. Tom Chilton Vauxhall 1m17.269
2. Fabrizio Giovanardi Vauxhall +0.170
3. Alain Menu Vauxhall +0.342
4. Jason Plato SEAT +0.587
5. Matt Neal Honda +0.618
6. Colin Turkington BMW +0.660
7. Darren Turner SEAT +0.678
8. Mike Jordan Honda +0.750
9. Gordon Shedden Honda +0.798
10. Matt Allison SEAT +0.956
11. Mat Jackson BMW +1.097
12. Tom Coronel SEAT +1.213
13. Tom Onslow-Cole BMW +1.542
14. Adam Jones SEAT +1.556
15. John George Honda +1.820
16. Eoin Murray Alfa Romeo +1.839
17. Rob Collard SEAT +2.050
18. Paul o'Neill SEAT +2.143
19. Erkut Kizilirmak Vauxhall +2.684
20. Jason Hughes MG +3.019
21. Dave Pinkney Alfa Romeo +3.378
22. Alan Taylor Honda +5.106
23. Martyn Bell BMW +5.355
24. Fiona Leggate MG No Time
25. Chris Stockton Lexus No Time
26. Rick Kerry BMW No Time

Vauxhall very much on top. Tom Chilton without any success ballast taking pole, I would expect him to yield to Giovanardi if the Italian is behind him during the race. Menu doing well on his return, such a pity he isn't around full time. Jason Plato doing a good job in the circumstances, he will need to pass Menu at the start.
Matt Allison did very well. He was as high as 7th and is the quickest privateer SEAT (of course he is the only current privateer SEAT to have raced at the first Thruxton meeting this year). John George will be pleased to see his Knockhill pace transferring to Thruxton.
Tom Coronel might be a little disappointed by his performance as might Paul o'Neill and Rob Collard, though the latter two have had very little time in their respective cars. Bell and Taylor were both pretty slow.
Anyone one know the problems with Leggate, Stockton and Kerry? I hope it is nothing terminal, I want to see all 26 cars racing tomorrow.

[Steelrat]

Chilton on pole. Is he finally showing everyone what he could have been capable of all year at the final round of all times??

Well, he did say that he'd had some alterations/upgrades to his car to bring him in line with Fab, so maybe .....

http://www.crash.net/news_view.asp?cid=10&id=155780

P

[nicemms]

That is excellent news for Vauxhall fans and for Giovanardi! Plato will struggle to get past Menu!

Nice to see Jordan has qualified so high up.

[MBailey06]

Leggate apparently lost a wheel on her first flying lap, and Kerry and Stockton didn't make it out at all.

[AlexD]

Just got back! Yes, Leggate did lose a wheel, Bell also spun off where I was and I noticed Kerry's car was under covers and never left the pits, which is a shame.

BIG smash with the clios earlier, hope everyone was ok.

[SEATFreak]

Total VXR lock-out with Chilton on pole, Fab in second and Menu in third. Just about the worst qualification result for SEAT and their fans. :(

I am dreading tomorrow.

I think we can chalk race 1 down as a decisive victory for VXR. And I think we can think about chalking of another failed year for SEAT too in a car that delivered a lot but couldn't get the job done.

[AlexD]

Don't be too doom and gloom just yet! Yes, it is a shame Turner and Coronel couldn't quite get right up behind Jason, but anything can happen.

[Hazell B]

That is excellent news for Vauxhall fans and for Giovanardi! Plato will struggle to get past Menu!

Nice to see Jordan has qualified so high up.


Yes, yes and YES! :D

I feel a good weekend coming on :D

[Captain VXR]

cant wait

[MG2004]

Chilton always goes well at Thruxton (until he gets a puncture!).

The VX 1-2-3 must be very depressing to SEAT, especially when you look at how few laps the Vectras put in during qualifying - 5 for Chilton, 5 for Giovanardi and 7 for Menu! Everybody else did far more laps and were deperately trying to catch the Vectras, without success.

The VX drivers must have used less tyres during qualifying, giving them more options for tomorrow, but Thruxton is very hard on tyres and often seems to throw up a puncture. It's still all to play for tomorrow...can't wait.

[Daz]

This is looking good for VXR and for Gio to have a very good weekend indeed :)

[Steelrat]

Right ... We're setting off now and I'm looking forward to a great day's racing .... Enjoy, one and all ...

P

[NoahsGirl]

Live timings is fine, I know the result of the 1st race, but not being able to watch it until 12.30pm is killing me!!

[SEATFreak]

Not long now NoahsGirl! Another 10mins or so.

[BeansBeansBeans]

A very exciting first race, with Chilton, Turner and finally Menu succumbing left-front punctures.

[AndySpeed]

Only 1 point in it :D If only VX Racing hadn't run the tyre pressures too hard in race 1, then Gio might be leading it by now. (or however else they may have pushed the tyres too hard if it wasn't pressures).

[SEATFreak]

I cannot take it anymore!! Goodbye cruel world!!

Giovanardi wins AGAIN from Jase in race 2 and the penultimate race of the season to open up a gap of just one little lonely point! Mat Neal chased down hard but Jase never gave up. That is good. Because theirs precious little else to be extatic about!

You cannot sepearate the proverbial gnats pube between Jase, a driver literally I think fighting tooth and nail to be in with a chance and a driver very much on form at the mo! :eek:

[nik]

1 point, it's goona be a gripping last race. Hope Gio can seal the deal.

Nice to see the over-rated Paul O'Neill not doing much at all.

[SEATFreak]

Hope Gio can seal the deal.

Nah! ;)

Little chance of that if Jase' fights to the end and Jase gets a better start.

[LiamM]

After just watching that last race I have just lost all slither of respect for Matt Neal, after spouting off at the end of the second race about how the fight has to be fair and clean, why he has to stick his oar in the final race and let through the Vauxhalls then block and harrass Plato is beyond me

[DazzlaF1]

I hope Jordan's alright, that looked a nasty head on crash

[BTCC Fan#1]

One of the few times I think i've ever felt a move like the one Plato put on Neal was justified..

[tdb]

I agree 100% liam, It really is about time something was done!
The potential of a great final race scrap between plato and gio lost to us all because of Matt Neal!
I am truly disgusted!

[BeansBeansBeans]

I'm not Matt Neal's biggest fan, but I get the feeling he was just ingratiating himself with his new employers (Vauxhall). Still, I don't think he can have too many complaints about Plato nerfing him out the way.

I was disappointed for Jason; he's driven fantastically all season, and he was brilliant today despite quite serious injuries. Ultimately, he's been beaten by a top-drawer driver in Giovanardi.

Congratulations to Fabrizio for a deserved title, and congratulations to both he and Plato for giving us a classic championship fight that went right down to the wire :up:

[SEATFreak]

Regardless of what Mat Sqeal did (I was out and I had to record it) fact is yet another year has passed without Jase winning the Drivers Championship and SEAT lost the Manufacturers title. Even though it may be scant consollation atleast SEAT won the Teams title.

If ever their was an ocassion to put their full weight and influence into a 110% effort for the next season (which we will likely loose AGAIN), switch to TDI and maybe get in some serious worldclass personnel it is now.

And if they do they WILL find that winning formula that will prove they are as big if not bigger than Vauxhall. And I rekon they are. VXR are a long established factory. SEAT are a growing entity.

So although it is another year of small rewards we can do it. Just with hard work. Done harder than ever before.

[Jona]

after watching race 3 ive lost a lot of respect for Matt Neal too. Letting the Vauxhalls past was just as much interferring with championship as it would have been punting Plato off the track! In the end Plato lost championship because of this! Very dissapointing from a former champion who said he didnt want to interfere in the championship

[BeansBeansBeans]

Letting the Vauxhalls past was just as much interferring with championship as it would have been punting Plato off the track! In the end Plato lost championship because of this!

Hmm, I'm not too sure he'd have got past Chilton and Giovanardi.

[nik]

Plato was already losing, Gio was ahead!!

All in all quite a dull set of races IMO, apart from Plato going nuts towards the end of race 3. Hopefully Thruxton won't hold anmother finale.

[LiamM]

True Plato was already loosing, but he was denied the chance to overhaul the Vauxhalls by Neal - Neal will say he didnt have to let Plato through, but he did interfere will the championship because of his dislike of Plato and he had already let through the Vauxhalls - he didnt actually let Chilton through until Plato was behind him!

[BeansBeansBeans]

Neal will say he didnt have to let Plato through, but he did interfere will the championship because of his dislike of Plato

His dislike of Plato was probably a factor, but the fact that he's driving for Vauxhall next year was probably the main reason.

[Rover V8]

Hmm, I'm not too sure he'd have got past Chilton and Giovanardi.

That's probably true- the point is he didn't get a fair chance to try because Mr Neal took it on himself to directly interfere in a championship battle he had no part in. He had the choice of not interfering with either of the championship contenders, or ignoring the championship situation, driving his own race against both of them- instead he took sides in someone else's fight-that's blatantly unsporting behaviour in my book....

If I was really cynical, I might be tempted to ask whether there'd been any collusion with Vauxhall over this...

[Bezza]

Regardless of whether Matt Neal is driving for Vauxhall next season, I suspect he still would have employed the same dirty tactics to stop Plato from winning the title. Considering Plato's injuries as well, this makes Matt Neal a very small man indeed. :down: I'm amazed people didn't expect this from him, he's ALWAYS been a driver like this. I'm glad I spotted this characteristic years ago.

[nicemms]

What Matt Neal did was very wrong - and for once I agree with Jason's coments about him.

Good racing - top 3 in race 2 were very close.

[MattL]

All in all quite a dull set of races IMO

I don't think we were watching the same races!

[BeansBeansBeans]

I don't think we were watching the same races!

Indeed.

I was literally on the edge of my seat chewing my fingernails.